Former JCNP Chairman: This Junkanaoo Season Will Not End Well

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NASSAU, BAHAMAS – Former Junkanoo Corporation Chairman Silbert Ferguson is speaking out against the government’s decision to manage Junknaoo parades moving forward.

Youth Sports and Culture Minister Mario Bowleg announced at a press conference earlier this week that parade management will be turned over to the National Junkanoo Committee.

However, he didn’t stop there – he said the government has no obligation to the JCNP, which has managed the parades for 21 years.

In response, Ferguson says the minister was totally out of order:

“The Attorney General should not be involved in the JCNP rules to ask them to move the exhibition clause in the rules so that the Way Forward does not have to exhibit in my words…the minister should not be asking the Junkanoo Corproation to remove the disqualification clause in the rules because the Music Makers and the Prodigal Sons can’t qualify in the A division. What are we saying? We are saying the mediocre is the order of the day,” Ferguson said.

Ferguson says it’s unfortunate the Junkanoo community has found themselves in this position.

He reiterated that this entire ordeal stemmed from the division in the Valley Boys.

“The government is very wrong for its stance. They should never have gotten involved with this, we had a job to do, we were doing that job to the best of our ability. We have run a gracious parade in 20 years. We had this hiccup with the Valley Boys, and it became a hiccup for all of Junkanoo,” he said.

At the end of it all, the former JCNP chairman says this will have a devastating impact on Junkanoo.

“This season ain’t guh end nice, I don’t think this will be a nice season. To me it ain’t going to be a nice season because you don’t get involved like that,” Ferguson said.